Chapter 7 - The Unraveling at the TownhouseWhile Michael was fighting a losing battle at the corporate office, Cassandra was waging her own war at their newly leased townhouse. With their funds frozen and their lines of credit permanently severed, reality was crashing down like a tidal wave.
According to our private investigator—a discreet professional I had hired to ensure Ellen and I were safe—the moving trucks had arrived early Thursday morning, only to be turned away when the credit card used for the deposit was declined.
Cassandra had reportedly thrown a screaming fit in the middle of the suburban cul-de-sac, throwing her designer purse into the gutter and screaming at the moving crew until the police were called for a noise disturbance.
By Thursday evening, my phone buzzed with an unknown number. I answered it.
“Mr. Whitaker? Robert?”
It was Cassandra’s mother, Eleanor Vance—no relation to Marcus. She sounded exhausted, her voice trembling with a mixture of fury and humiliation.
“Eleanor,” I acknowledged evenly.
“Robert, what is going on? Cassandra is sitting in my living room right now, crying her eyes out, saying you’ve cut them off completely! She said you froze their bank accounts and ruined their lives over a... a stupid wedding argument!”
“A wedding argument?” I repeated, the dangerous edge in my voice making her pause. “Eleanor, your daughter physically assaulted my wife, and my son violently shoved her into a wall, leaving her bruised and battered. They left her lying on the floor like trash while they went back to dance at their reception.”
A heavy, stunned silence hung on the line.
“She... she told us they just had a minor disagreement about seating arrangements,” Eleanor whispered, horrified.
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“They lied to you, just like they lied to everyone else. And now, they are facing the consequences of their own actions. I suggest you tell your daughter to stop calling my house, because the next person she talks to won't be me—it will be a criminal prosecutor.”
I hung up the phone and switched it off entirely.
